Rep. Jasmine Crockett (D-Texas) issued one of her sharpest warnings yet about President Donald Trump, telling Americans they deserve to know whether Trump interfered with inquiries linked to Jeffrey Epstein, and whether he may be personally implicated or protecting others who are.
Speaking on CNN’s The Arena, Crockett argued that the Justice Department still has unanswered questions to confront about how key Epstein-related records were handled.
But the public, she said, can’t get those answers unless Trump and his allies stop blocking access to the files.
Crockett began by questioning whether federal investigators ever had the complete Epstein dataset — or whether any evidence was deleted before investigators could access it.
“Do we know there was a thorough investigation? Do we know whether or not the investigation had concluded?” she asked. “We can’t get answers when you’re not cooperating.”
She suggested that Trump may have obstructed internal probes before leaving office, noting that he previously intervened in unrelated cases involving political allies.
“I wouldn’t be surprised if he sent a message and said, ‘Stop investigating. We’re done with this. Epstein’s dead. I don’t want to hear anything else about i,.’” she added.
When asked whether she had evidence, she was blunt:
“I have no idea. No — that’s the whole point. That’s why we need these files released.”
Crockett’s most explosive warning yet
Her sharpest line came when she turned to voters who continue to support Trump amid mounting questions about Epstein’s network:
“If people decide they want to continue to support a person who may be a pedophile himself or a person who obviously is covering for pedophiles, that’s on them. But they should know at least the devil that they have decided to pick.”
For a sitting member of Congress, the suggestion that a president could be either personally involved in sexual crimes against minors or actively shielding those who were is extraordinary. The comments reflect growing Democratic frustration over the continued lack of transparency surrounding the Epstein files, and renewed public pressure after recent disclosures suggested dozens of previously unnamed individuals may have interacted with Epstein.
A demand for transparency
Crockett stressed that her push is not partisan.
“We are looking for transparency, whether you’re a Democrat, Republican or independent,” she said.
She argues that the fight over the Epstein documents is not just about accountability, but about whether the government will permit even basic scrutiny into how one of the most politically explosive criminal networks in modern U.S. history operated.
High stakes
Crockett’s remarks speak to a broader fear: that an administration inclined to bury politically harmful information may have done exactly that.
The stakes are not just historic. They are immediate.
Congress is now under intensifying pressure to force the release of any remaining Epstein records. And Crockett’s warning — intentionally provocative or not — signals just how far some lawmakers are willing to push to get them.
Whether her remarks shift the political ground or simply mark another escalation in an already volatile debate remains to be seen.
